Residents of Sorenson, North and Gibbs Halls were roused from their Sunday night studies Oct. 5 when a discharged can of pepper spray forced a complete evacuation of all three residence buildings. At 8:14 p.m. that night, a can of pepper spray was emptied in the first floor stairwell of Sorenson Hall, causing irritation to the throats, noses and eyes of about 20 residents. At first the cause of the fumes was unclear, leading campus Safety and Security to pull the fire alarm and evacuate the building.

“We were taught to treat things like this as a fire drill and just have everyone meet outside, across from Complex,” said Sophomore Biology Major and Collegiate Fellow Sam Nothem.

Safety and Security then proceeded to alert the St. Peter Police and Fire Departments and the Nicolette County Sheriff’s Office. Police cars, a fire truck, ambulances and sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. Medical staff evaluated 19 students, and an additional two students voluntarily went to the St. Peter Hospital due to complications involving preexisting asthma conditions.

“It was really confusing, we kind of didn’t know what was going on,” said Sophomore Kate Ibberson, a resident of Sorensen who was affected by the pepper spray.
“The EMT people checked our throats and vitals and the police officers took our names and phone numbers,” said Ibberson.

When students were evacuated from the building the exact cause of the fumes was still unknown. After entering and searching the building, the St. Peter Fire Department determined that pepper spray was the cause, and began working with campus officials to air out the building.

All students were contacted via the campus emergency alert system at about 10:00 p.m. that night with an explanation of the incident and assurances that the situation was under control.

The large-scale response seemed superfluous to many after the cause of the incident was discovered, but Safety and Security Director Ray Thrower said the actions taken by campus officials and local authorities were both necessary and well-executed.

“Gustavus and the surrounding area first responders train yearly for situations like this,” said Thrower.
Since it was unclear at first what exactly the threat was, Safety and Security communicated directly with the police and fire department and arrived at the scene prepared for whatever the situation may have been.

After the evacuation of the building, campus employees and St. Peter authorities used fans to air out the building so that students could return to their residences. Since the incident occurred, all public surfaces in the dormitories, including walls, stairs and carpets have been cleaned.

It is still unknown whether the pepper spray was discharged intentionally or unintentionally, but campus authorities suspect that this was not an accident. “If it had been a mistake,” said Thrower, “we would expect that whomever was responsible would have come forward.”
Since no one has claimed responsibility thus far, both Safety and Security and the St. Peter Police are engaging in full investigations of the incident and pursuing already apparent leads.

Safety and Security urges anyone with information relating to the incident to report it, either in person or anonymously on the Silent Witness website provided by Gustavus.